Lloyd Sumner

Lloyd Sumner was born in 1943 and grew up in the United States. He studied engineering with a focus on art at the University of Virginia. Early in his career, he worked at the Computer Science Center at UVA, where he gained access to a B5500 Burroughs computer and a CalComp 565 plotter. This environment allowed him to combine his technical skills and artistic vision. Sumner’s curiosity and adventurous spirit also led him on an epic four-year bicycle journey around the world, which he documented in his travel memoir The Long Ride (1978).

Sumner is recognized as one of the earliest pioneers to use computers exclusively for aesthetic purposes. Beginning in 1964, he created computer-generated drawings using an extended ALGOL programming language, producing smooth, elegant plotter images. Notable works like The Rotunda (1968) exemplify his mathematically driven compositions marked by precise, flowing curves. His 1968 publication Computer Art and Human Response was the first monograph dedicated entirely to an individual computer art practice, offering technical insights alongside his artistic explorations. Sumner marketed his work under the title ‘Computer Creations’, using proceeds to support his travels and artistic pursuits.

Sumner’s contributions helped establish computer-generated imagery as a respected artistic medium. He exhibited in pioneering shows such as the Cybernetic Serendipity exhibition in London and Tendencies 4 in Zagreb, a city recognized as a hub for new media art. These exhibitions cemented his position as a leading innovator, showcasing his ability to merge creativity with technology. His writings influenced artists and researchers internationally, and his works, characterized by elegant plotter drawings generated through extended ALGOL programming, are included in major collections like the Victoria and Albert Museum. Sumner passed away in 1996.